Washita Battlefield

https://www.nps.gov/waba/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washita_Battlefield_National_Historic_Site Washita Battlefield National Historic Site protects and interprets the site of the Southern Cheyenne village of Chief Black Kettle where the Battle of Washita occurred. The site is located about 150 miles (241 km) west of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, near Cheyenne, Oklahoma. Just before dawn on November 27, 1868, the village was attacked by the 7th U.S. Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Custer. In the Battle of Washita, the Cheyenne suffered large numbers of casualties. The strike was hailed at the time by the military and many civilians as a significant victory aimed at reducing Indian raids on frontier settlements as it forced the Cheyenne back to the reservation set aside for them. On November 27, 1868, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer led the 7th US Cavalry on a surprise dawn attack on a Cheyenne village led by Peace Chief Black Kettle. The event was an example of the tragic clash of cultures that occurred during the Great Plains Wars. It is also a place of remembrance and reflection for those who died here. Read More Washita Battlefield is located just west of Cheyenne in western Oklahoma approximately 130 miles west of Oklahoma City and 140 miles east of Amarillo, Texas; just 25 miles north of I-40 on State Highway 283. From Cheyenne head west on State Highway 47 for about 1 mile and then make a right on State Highway 47A. The visitor center will be on the right and the battlefield is about .5 miles past the visitor center on the right as well. Visitor Center Open 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Cheyenne is situated in western Oklahoma approximately 140 miles west of Oklahoma City and 128 miles east of Amarillo, Texas; just 22 miles north of I-40 on State Highway 283. The Visitor Center is 1 mile west of Cheyenne. Tipis at Sunset Cheyenne tipis backlite by sunset Cheyenne tipis backlite by sunset Washita River The Washita River in winter covered in ice and snow The Washita River looking much the same as it did during the attack on November 27, 1868 Cheyenne Dog Soldier Telling Stories A Cheyenne Dog Soldier tells stories inside his tipi A Cheyenne Dog Soldier tells stories inside his tipi The Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Visitor Center The Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Visitor Center on a summer day The Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Visitor Center on a summer day Learning Something New at Washita A Park Ranger knells down among Junior Rangers so only his hat shows within the crowd of children. A Park Ranger helps children with their Jr. Ranger books. "Meeting the Enemy" A Cheyenne Warrior and U.S. Cavalry soldier hold a meeting next to a tipi A Cheyenne Warrior and U.S. Cavalry soldier hold a meeting next to a tipi National Park Getaway: Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Nearly 150 years ago an event on the Great Plains would change the Cheyenne way of life forever. Washita Battlefield National Historic Site is a powerful place full of stories that have significance even today. Inside of long building with a tipi in front of a window at the end. Air Quality Monitoring in the Southern Plains and Chihuahuan Desert Networks Both the Clean Air Act and the National Park Service Organic Act protect air resources in national parks. Park resources affected by air quality include scenery and vistas, vegetation, water, and wildlife. Over the past three decades, the National Park Service has developed several internal and cooperative programs for monitoring various measures of air quality. Cactus and clear skies at Tonto National Monument Streams Monitoring in the Sonoran Desert and Southern Plains Because of their importance, streams were chosen as a focus for monitoring in the National Park Service (NPS) Sonoran Desert and Southern Plains inventory and monitoring networks. Portions of several major river systems (or their tributaries) are found within many parks of both networks. Monitoring water quality from a boat NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Oklahoma The camp of Peace Chief Black Kettle was located on the floodplain of the Washita River within the Western Red-Bed Plains geomorphic province of the Great Plains. The area is characterized gently rolling hills of nearly flat-lying Permian red sandstone and shale Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports. tipi on the prairie Washita Battlefield Bird Inventory State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the University of Akron conducted a bird inventory of Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in Oklahoma. Interior least tern, a white and gray bird with a black mask, and a long yellow beak Climate Change in the Southern Plains Network Climate change may have direct and/or indirect effects on many elements of Southern Plains network ecosystems, from streams and grasslands to fires and birds. Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) is an invasive plant that has invaded the Southern Plains Climate Monitoring in the Southern Plains, Sonoran Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert Climate is one of many ecological indicators monitored by the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Inventory & Monitoring (I&M). Climate data help scientists to understand ecosystem processes and help to explain many of the patterns and trends observed in other natural-resource monitoring. In NPS units of the American Southwest, three I&M networks monitor climate using the scientific protocol described here. Kayaking across a fl ooded parking lot, Chickasaw NRA, July 2007. Southwestern Plains The Plains of the Southwest include the southern Great Plains, the High Plains, Llano Estacado (Staked Plains), and Edwards Plateau. Sunset lights up the grass at Capulin Volcano National Monument National Park Service Commemoration of the 19th Amendment In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment the National Park Service has developed a number of special programs. This includes online content, exhibits, and special events. The National Park Service’s Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS) announces the release of a story map that highlights some of these programs and provides information for the public to locate and participate. Opening slide of the 19th Amendment NPS Commemoration Story Map Series: Defining the Southwest The Southwest has a special place in the American imagination – one filled with canyon lands, cacti, roadrunners, perpetual desert heat, a glaring sun, and the unfolding of history in places like Tombstone and Santa Fe. In the American mind, the Southwest is a place without boundaries – a land with its own style and its own pace – a land that ultimately defies a single definition. Maize agriculture is one component of a general cultural definition of the Southwest. Series: Southern Plains Bird Inventories Birds are a highly visible component of many ecosystems and because they respond quickly to changes in resource conditions, birds are good indicators of environmental change. Bird inventories allow us to understand the current condition, or status, of bird populations and communities in parks. These data are important for managing birds and other resources and provide baseline information for monitoring changes over time. Violet-green swallow Find Your Park on Route 66 Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today! A paved road with fields in the distance. On the road is a white Oklahoma Route 66 emblem. Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios. Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background Making an Impact: Long-Term Monitoring of Natural Resources at Intermountain Region National Parks, 2021 Across the Intermountain Region, Inventory & Monitoring Division ecologists are helping to track the effects of climate change, provide baseline information for resource management, evaluate new technologies, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. This article highlights accomplishments achieved during fiscal year 2021. A man looks through binoculars at sunrise. A Changing Bimodal Climate Zone Means Changing Vegetation in Western National Parks When the climate changes enough, the vegetation communities growing in any given place will also change. Under an expanded bimodal climate zone, some plant communities in western national parks are more likely to change than others. National Park Service ecologists and partners investigated the future conditions that may force some of this change. Having this information can help park managers decide whether to resist, direct, or accept the change. Dark storm clouds and rainbow over mountains and saguaros. Climate and Weather Monitoring at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site: Water Year 2022 At Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Southern Plains Network scientists take measurements of key resources and weather. We analyze temperature, precipitation, and drought indices to determine how local climate is changing and to better understand its effect on natural resources at the park. This report summarizes Water Year 2022 climate and weather data at the park. Temperatures were generally warmer and drier than previous averages. Tall, yellow sunflowers in a field at Washita Battlefield. Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park System To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation. A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera. Climate and Weather Monitoring at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site: Water Year 2023 At Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Southern Plains Network scientists take measurements of key resources and weather. We analyze temperature, precipitation, and drought indices to determine how local climate is changing and to better understand its effect on natural resources at the park. This report summarizes Water Year 2023 climate and weather data at the park. Bright yellow sunflowers on tall stalks in a field.

Washita Battlefield Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Oklahoma To destroy their villages and ponies; to kill or hang all warriors, and bring back all women and children. National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior ILLUSTRATION—NPS / STEVEN LANG Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, orders to Lt. Col. George A. Custer, September 1868 In the first few hours of November 27, 1868, four units of the 7th US Cavalry quietly take up positions at a bend in the Hoóxe'eo’hé'e (Lodge Pole River, known today as the Washita River). Before them is the winter camp of Cheyenne Peace Chief Mo'ȯhtávetoo'o (Black Kettle ). The day before, the chief returned from Fort Cobb, 100 miles away, where the commanding officer rebuffed the chief’s plea for peace and protection for his people. Black Kettle’s wife, Medicine Woman Later, entreats him to move their small camp closer to the larger camps. Black Kettle decides to move tomorrow, but tomorrow is too late. The attack comes at morning’s first light (map below). A bugle sounds “Charge!” as a band plays “Garry Owen,” the 7th Cavalry’s marching song. In a moment all is tumult as about 700 troopers splash through the frigid water into the sleeping camp. In the first implementation of the army’s strategy of “total war” against the Tribes of the Southern Plains, Custer leads the largest battalion directly through the village. Three other units attempt to surround the camp and cut off escape routes. Custer then commands the assault from atop a nearby knoll as soldiers pursue Cheyenne in all directions. Attack on winter camp of Cheyenne Peace Chief Mo’ȯhtávetoo’o (Black Kettle), November 27, 1868 The 7th U.S. Cavalry branches off as four detachments led by Elliott, Custer, Myers, Thompson. They surround Black Kettle’s Camp, where the attack occurs. Black Kettle and Medicine Woman later are killed at this camp site. Elliot then continues to a site east, near the convergence of the Washita River and Sergeant Major Creek, where Elliot and his troops are killed by warriors from the Araphao, Kiowa, and Cheyenne camps who have come from the east. Some Cheyenne fight and die in the camp, while others return fire from ravines and behind trees. Many escape. As Black Kettle crosses the river, sharpshooters on the north bank strike and kill him. The firing stops after about two hours. The bodies of 30 to 60 Cheyenne and 20 cavalry lie dead in the snow and mud. To cripple resistance, soldiers slaughter the Tribe’s 650 ponies. They light a bonfire, destroying buffalo robes, clothes, tipis, saddles, weapons, and provisions. Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa warriors arrive from other camps to the east. Custer and his troops, with 53 women and children they have taken as prisoners of war, withdraw north to Camp Supply. Right: A ledger art drawing by Whirlwind, a Cheyenne warrior and Chief. Here, Cheyenne warrior Roman Nose Thunder charges through a hail of bullets toward Maj. Joel Elliott (Custer’s second in command) and his men, who fire at him from the tall grass where they lie. Elliott and all 17 of his soldiers were killed. Years later Roman Nose Thunder recalled, “The fight did not last longer than it would take a man to smoke a pipe four times.” The Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, and Sioux Tribes used ledger paper to depict actual historical accounts of their battles and encounters with enemies. OKLAHOMA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA / © SAM NOBLE From Peace Treaties to War on the Great Plains The US Constitution states that “all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land.” From 1778 to 1871 the United States negotiated about 800 treaties with Native American Tribes. The US Congress ratified less than 400 treaties. Few were observed for long. Two-thirds of all treaties required Native Americans to cede their traditional lands, promised them annuities (provisions), and offered them smaller tracts where they would keep their status as sovereign nations. Some accepted life on the reservations. Many succumbed to disease and starvation. The US government did not deliver on many of its promises, which sowed distrust. By all measures, the treaties failed to achieve peace. Some Plains Tribes continued to hunt and live as they had for centuries, into the 1860s. Then gold seekers and emigrants arrived in force on the Great Plains. They built forts, roads, railways, towns, and homesteads. The resulting clash of cultures ignited fighting across the region. Warrior bands attacked wagon trains, mining camps, stagecoaches, and settlements. The violence led to the massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho by the Colorado US Volunteer Cavalry at Sand Creek, Colorado Territory, in 1864. In the Little Arkansas Treaty of 1865 the US government took responsibility for the massacre and promised reparations to survivors. That promise has not been fulfilled. The Medicine Lodge Treaties of 1867 also failed to bring pea